First Snow
by mostlypsychotic
Summary: As snow falls around them, 7 and 9 wonder. They wonder how the others would react to the snow, and they wonder what will come after. Post-movie oneshot.


7 looked out the open door of the library. While the four of them had slept, a heavy white blanket had formed on the ground. She had heard about this blanket before- 3 had showed it to her in a book. If she remembered correctly, it was called 'snow.' As she pushed the door open wider, she could see that it was still falling from the sky, collecting on the broken concrete steps in front of her. Their world was still barren, still preparing for a rebirth, but the snow made it all seem more beautiful. 7 was so lost in thought that she didn't hear the twins running to have a look until they nearly barreled her over.

"Watch it, you two!" she called out, steadying herself on the door hinge as the two identical ragdolls bounded out into the cold and were almost buried alive by the deep snow. "Be careful!" Figuring that the two weren't listening anyway, 7 stepped forward and took a seat on the cold step. She watched the winter scene wistfully, not noticing 9 come out of the library to join her.

"7?" he asked quietly, laying a hand on her shoulder. He didn't see her in this lost-in-thought state very often, and it always worried him. "…Are you okay?" 7 looked up, immediately covering any cause for suspicion up with a smile.

"Of course. I'm just making sure those two don't get hurt, that's all," she said comfortingly, huddling closer to 9 as a cold breeze blew over them. "I've never seen this stuff before, have you?"

"No. It's really pretty, though," 9 observed, holding a hand out in front of him to catch a falling snowflake. "I bet 6 would have liked it," he continued hesitantly. Even now, he couldn't tell if the others were a touchy topic for 7. To his surprise, 7 laughed.

"He would have. He'd probably get really excited, like the twins. He'd run around in it until he got lost, and then we'd have to go find him. And when we did, he wouldn't understand that we were worried about him. He'd just be happy that he got to have a good time for once. That's 6 for you," she said. 9 grinned, able to imagine the whole thing. When they found him, 6 would just smile and hold onto that key of his while they took him back to the library.

"And if 2 got to see the snow, he'd probably be completely fascinated with it," 7 went on. "He'd stay out here for hours, learning all about what he could do with it. He'd probably bring out a candle to see how it reacted."

"And when it turned into water, he'd be amazed," 9 finished. "He'd probably figure out later that snow does that, but he'd just be astounded."

"Exactly. Now, if 5 got to see the snow, he'd probably be scared. He wouldn't get what it was at first, and he'd stay inside and hide from it," 7 guessed. "But maybe the twins, or even 6, would go in and make him come out and see it. Once he got to know it, he'd have fun with it." 9 nodded. 5 would be reluctant, and hide in the bookshelves. The twins would do whatever they could to convince him that it would be fine, and if they couldn't, they'd drag him out. The thought made him laugh a little.

"8 would loosen up a bit if he saw it," he said. "He'd go out and look around, and he'd think it was really cool. That, or he'd come out just to push the others into the snow." 7 laughed again, picturing 5 being shoved face-first into the snow by a lumbering 8. 9 wasn't finished, however. He had one more theory.

"You know what 1 would do?" he asked. "He'd act like he didn't care. He'd think we were all weird because we liked the snow so much, and he'd just sit around and look bored. But the funny thing is he would care. He'd think it was really interesting to see snow for the first time, and he'd really like sitting out there and watching it all happen. To him, the snow would be the most incredible thing he's ever seen." 7 nodded.

"He would never admit it, though," she said. After a moment of watching the twins begin a snowball fight, she turned back to 9, reaching for his hand. "I wish they could see it."

"Yeah. They all lived longer than me, but I'm seeing things they won't get to. There's going to be more, I think. If we did the right thing, life should start forming again. We might see plants, or animals, or even humans. But they won't get to see any of it. All they knew was the bad part," 9 said.

"Hey, 9?" 7 asked tentatively. "Do you think there's a chance they might come back?" 9 gave a shuddering sigh, hating to admit his real feelings and probably hurt 7 a little.

"No." He looked up at the gray sky, watching the snow fall in swirls. 7 sighed.

"I know. I was just holding out, just hoping a little that they might," she murmured, leaning onto 9's shoulder. The twins ran up to them, eyes flickering quickly, terrified expressions on their faces. As they hid behind the other two, 4 pointed out at the trees. In the distance, 9 saw something dart closer. It was as white as the snow, with long ears and a different texture. Something he had never seen before.

"3, 4? Didn't we see that in a picture once? It's called a…a…a rabbit?" 7 asked, looking out. 3 and 4 relaxed, looking out at this 'rabbit.'

"Is that what an animal is?" 9 asked. The twins nodded in unison. "I saw them in a book once too."

_If 6 saw it, he'd probably run after it. The rabbit would think it was under attack, even though it was bigger than its attacker. It would run away, and 6 would be upset because all he wanted was to say hello._


End file.
